Oprah Winfrey and Tyler Perry on November 1, 2009 in Hollywood, California.

PASADENA– Oprah Winfrey’s OWN Network unveiled six new original series Saturday aimed at bolstering the fledgling network’s audiences.

The new programming includes two shows produced by Tyler Perry, the creator of sitcom hits like “House of Payne” who struck a deal to produce shows exclusively for OWN last October. OWN is a joint venture between Ms. Winfrey and Discovery Communications Inc.

OWN also announced the release of four additional shows by other producers. They include the documentaries “Blackboard Wars,” about an underperforming New Orleans school and “Raising Whitley,” about a comedian raising an adopted baby with the help of friends. “Dogfellas” is the working title for a new show about a former mobster who goes into the dog grooming and rescue business; and “Golden Sisters” is a comedy about three senior-citizen sisters who run a salon.

“It’s exciting for us, it’s our first step into scripted programming,” Erik Logan, president of OWN, said on the sidelines of the Television Critics Association’s press conference. OWN presented the new shows at TCA, a semi-annual gathering where TV executives pitch new shows for the upcoming season. Ms. Winfrey, who is chief executive of the network, was not at the presentation.

The new shows underline Discovery’s commitment to invest more in OWN, which debuted to low ratings two years ago and has been a drag on Discovery’s earnings. Skeptics have previously doubted that OWN had enough strong programming to sustain a network.

Lately however, OWN appears to be rounding a corner. Average total audiences increased to 328,000 viewers tuning in live or over a week of time-shifted viewing, for the 12 months through December 16, a 28% increase from the year earlier period, according to Nielsen.

OWN’s popularity still pales in comparison to the ratings at other cable networks targeted at women such as Bravo, which regulatory attracts more than 900,000 viewers on average, or Lifetime, which can draw more than one million viewers. Both networks have been on the air much longer, however.

The new shows produced by Tyler Perry include the drama series “The Have and the Have Nots,” and the comedy “Love Thy Neighbor,” both of which premiere in late May. “Blackboard Wars” will air starting in March and the other shows at different times this year.

In December, Discovery Chief Executive David Zaslav referred to Mr. Perry as “the cherry on top” of efforts to make OWN a success. At the time, Mr. Zaslav said OWN was ahead of schedule in its efforts to break even on the network by mid-2013, and to spend less money on OWN than it did in 2012.

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